We're all hatchin'! Congrats, everyone!

[Schultz]

I hope your hatch goes well, I am done for the year but thought I would come in and say hi because I didn't want you to think you were all alone

 

[chickenlittle32]

I am on day 14 as well. I candled the eggs recently (can't remember exactly what day...its been a long week...lol) Out of 18...10 showed potential...Good luck with your hatch!

P.S. My eggs are BLRW.

 

[cjeanean]

Aw, thanks Shultz! So are u gonna stay awake with me days 18-21, chickenlittle32???? This is my first hatch!!!

 

[chickenlittle32]

I sure will!!! I am so anxious for this hatch! This is only my second hatch...I apologize if you mentioned this already, but what type of eggs are you hatching?

 

[MariposaMama]

I'll hang with you guys, too. My eggs are on day 13 today. Last time I candled I had 8 definitely alive and 2 questionable. I already tossed 2 bad ones. I'm going to candle them tonight to see what's happening now. They're just mutt eggs from my chickens, but I'm excited to see what crosses I have.

This is my second hatch attempt. Nothing actually hatched the first time, and when I broke open the eggs I had three with perfectly formed little chicks, I don't know why they didn't make it.

 

[Schultz]

Quote:
Don't think I will be awake the whole time but I will check in

 

[Cherstin]

Hey everyone! I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck! We hit day 21 today ... I had three eggs in the incubator and the first hatched yesterday morning but the other two didn't make it. I will recommend this: Please learn from my mistake! The two eggs had been rolling and shaking and peeping when egg #1 was hatching but shortly after I removed egg 1 from the incubator to put in the brooder, the eggs fell silent. I couldn't find any info online and assumed that maybe the eggs were asleep.

Still nothing had happened this morning ... the eggs were as still as stone. By the time I found this website and checked out the thread talking about helping the hatch, it was too late. I attempted to help the eggs hatch but I found the same thing in both eggs --- two fully formed, perfect chicks but they had died. The eggs were both very dry on the inside and I'm thinking that my fatal mistake was in opening the incubator to remove the chick. Even though I only had the top off for a second, everything seemed to stop after that. It's a tough lesson learned but I'm so glad to have "Pip." I have posted and received info from local farmers and I'm hoping to find another day-old chick or two to purchase tomorrow because it's horribly sad seeing Pip all alone.

Anyway, read thru the thread ahead of time so you'll know what you need in case the chicks start to pip but fizzle out. Also, if all looks well, LEAVE THE INCUBATOR CLOSED until all the eggs hatch. I feel so awful about my first hatch and I wish someone had given me this advice before it was too late.

Can't wait to see the pictures! It's so exciting! Have a great hatch!

 

[Spunky~Chick~Mom]

I am close with you. I am out of town on vaca I will be home tomorrow to check my eggs!!! This is my first too!!!

 

[MariposaMama]

Just thought I'd update. I candled last night and my 2 questionables are definitely duds, so they are going over the fence today. I have 1 new one that's gone questionable, but the remaining 7 are still alive and wiggling.

It is the morning of day 14 now, so I'm still hopeful that I'll get at least a few to hatch.

I might try to candle a couple of them again tonight for the sake of a few pics, but otherwise I won't check them again until day 18 when I put the bator on lockdown.

 

[cjeanean]

LOL, I can't stand the suspense! I've candled them every day almost, until now. I have mostly brown ones in the bator, and at this point they're too dark to see movement. I have 3 large white eggs and 2 small cream colored banty eggs, so I've been candling those in hopes of using them as a comparison to the dark ones. I am a little worried about the small ones, it's only day 15 (today) and the little shells are almost 100% dark, and I'm thinking they won't have enough room to finish growing. They're a mix between one of my banty breeds and a standard roo, so the resulting half-and-half chick is gonna be too big, I think. I hope not, so everyone say a prayer for my tiny eggs!!!

On a side note, I think I have fertile duck eggs!!! I read on here that ducks need water to mate, and I put a little kiddie pool in their pen in hopes that they would do the deed. I couldn't tell from the egg yolks if there was a bull's eye, but I put 2 duck eggs in my bator last night and today when I candled I could see a tiny dark spot move with the yolk when I turned the eggs, which I *hope* is a tiny spot of veins. Of course I read today that I shouldn't have put duck eggs in with the chicks, but it's only for a week until the chicks hatch. I'm SOOOOO excited!!! Now I need a bigger bator....